


Rest is for the wicked

by reddeadmort



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Insomnia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 17:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18348404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddeadmort/pseuds/reddeadmort
Summary: Reader is an insomniac and ends up staying up to talk to Micah.





	Rest is for the wicked

You lay awake in your cot, staring at the canvas above your head. You knew every stain, every hole, every mark off by heart now; you spent enough nights staring up at it. You’d been like this ever since Blackwater; you barely slept, and when you did, you woke up several times anyway. You’d been constantly exhausted for months now, and were sure the others were talking about it.

Sighing, you sat up. You decided that if you were going to be awake while everyone else was asleep, you might as well go and enjoy the fire while it was quiet. You headed over to the centre of the camp, and were surprised to find Micah already by the fire.

“Mr Bell” you said as you sat down on one of the rugs.

“Call me Micah. How you keepin’.”

“I’d rather…. Fine.” You couldn’t be bothered arguing, you just wanted to stare at the flames, anything that might help you sleep.

“What’s with you woman!” Micah huffed as he snapped at you, irritated. Micah always seemed to have a bee in his britches about something; though, given the way the others spoke to him, you weren’t all that surprised.

“Sorry….  _Micah_ , I’ve got something on my mind that’s all.”  You weren’t sure why you apologised to him; he seemed just as surprised as you at the word.

“And what would that be?” The tone of his voice had changed; it seemed less defensive somehow.

“Well, no-one else really wants to talk to be no more. Don’t blame ‘em, I keep on snapping at them when they do. It’s just… I’m so tired all the time, and stuff that shouldn’t annoy me really grates at me.” You sighed, shivering slightly – you wished you’d grabbed a blanket from your tent, the fire wasn’t doing much against the evening chill.

“What do you care if them cowpokes don’t talk to you. I don’t. Only thing I need is a bottle of whiskey.” Micah took a swig from an open bottle before offering it to you; you declined with a slight wave of your hand.

“Well, unlike you Micah, I enjoy talking and being nice to people.” You shivered again.

“Okay, okay” Micah raised both hands, lowering his head slightly, placating the slight anger in you. “Look, you’re freezin’. How bout you bring that pretty little face over here and I’ll warm you up.”

“Micah, enough.” You couldn’t be bothered with this and stood up to walk back to your tent.

“No, Y/N, I…. I’m just bein’ friendly. Sorry, I know what I sound like, I don’t mean that way. I just…. I say the wrong things. Only thing I know how to do is piss people off.”

You frowned. You’d never seen Micah like this; though, admittedly, you’d never spoken to him for this long.

“Fine, Micah, fine. But if you try anything……”

“I know, Y/N, I know. You’ll stick me like a pig” Micah chuckled and moved so he was leaning against the log, patting the ground between his legs. You paused for a moment, then sat down. At this point you were willing to do anything that might help you relax, maybe even sleep. You sat down and gently rested your back against Micah’s chest, arms folded on your chest. Micah wrapped his arms around yours, far more gently than you expected.  

For a while, you sat in silence. You were far more comfortable than you’d like to admit; Micah was right, he could warm you up. Eventually, Micah coughed, clearing his throat.

“I never err…I never told you this. But…. you’re quite a woman. Quite a woman. You could make a fella real happy.”

“Shut up Micah” you gently chided him, laughing slightly. “Actually, don’t shut up. Tell me a story, one of your jobs or somethin’.”

“Ain’t no woman ever asked me to tell ‘em somethin’” he chuckled. “Sure thing Y/N.”

And so Micah talked, telling you stories from his younger days. They were all filled with violence, things going wrong. After a while, you stopped listening to the words and let your eyes shut, feeling the rumble of Micah’s voice in his chest behind you.

Eventually, Micah stopped talking and sat in silence for a moment.

“So….Y/N…..how about you an’ I go into town sometime.” He cursed inwardly at the nervousness in his voice; he sure was glad no one else was awake to hear that.

When you didn’t respond, Micah looked down, only to see your eyes shut, your breathing slow and peaceful. He smiled at your sleeping face and gave you a slight squeeze.

“You’re breaking my heart, sugar pie.”


End file.
